Ejecting device for vending-machines.



J. E. ALLISON. BJBG'HNG-DEVIOE FOR VENDING MAOHINES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 10,.1908. V

Patented June 8,

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n sra'rns PATENT onro JAMES E. ALLISON, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNORTO THE LAOLEDE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ACORPORATION OF MISSOURI.

EJ'ECTIN'G DEVICE FOR VENDING-MACHINES.

Patented June 8, 1909.

Original application filed December 29, 1905, Serial No. 293,789.Divided and this application filed August 10, 1908. Serial No. 447,747.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES E. ALLIsoN, a citizen of the United States,residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and usefulImprovement in Ejecting Devices for Vending-Machines, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part ofthis specification, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of avending machine rovided with an ejecting device constructs in accordancewith my invention; Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken on theline 22 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the parts in adifferent position.

This invention relates to vending machines, and particularly to themeans employed in such machines for ejecting the articles which areoffered for sale, the present application being a divisional of myending application Serial No. 293,789, filed ecember 29, 1905.

The application above referred to illustrates a coin-controlled vendingmachine provided with a receptacle for holding the articles to bevended, a turn-table or oscillating member arranged underneath saidreceptacle and adapted to support the lowermost article in thereceptacle, means for reventing the turn-table from being move until acoin has been inserted in the coin slot of the machine, and a devicewhich automatically ejects the article resting on the turn-table whensaid table reaches a certain position. The present a plication relatesto an ejecting mechanism 0 novel construction and while I have hereinillustrated it as being embodied in a machine of the construction shownin my said pending application, I wish it to be understood that saidejecting mechanism could be used in. a machine provided with a differentkind of coin-controlled mechanism than that shown in my said pendingapplication.

Briefly described, my improved ejecting mechanism consists of a movablemember,

referably an oscillating or rotatable mem her that is adapted to supportan article, an

ejecting device, and means for causing said ejecting device to engagethe article on said movable member and move it off of same or partiallyoff of same when said. movable member reaches a certain position.

Referring to the drawings which illustrate a vending machine providedwith an ejecting mechanism constructed in accordance with my invention,1 designates a receptacle that holds the articles A to be vended, thearticles herein shown being of approximately oblongshape, but it will,of course, be obvious that the machine could be designed to accommodatearticles of a different shape without departing from the spirit of myinvention. A movable member or turn-table 2 is arranged underneath thelower end of said receptacle to support the lowermost article of thepile or stack of articles in said receptacle, and said movable member isconnected to a shaft 3 that is journaled in a base'piece 4. The member 2is provided with a handle or fingerpiece 5 that can be grasped to turnor oscillate said member in one direction, and said member is moved inthe opposite direction back to its normal position by means of a coiledspring 6 connected at one end to the shaft 3 and at its other end to thebasepiece 4.

The turn-table or movable member 2 is provided with a pair of upwardlyprojecting flanges 7, as shown in Fig. 2, that form a recess or pocketin which the lowermost article in the receptacle 1 lies when saidturntable is in its normal osition, as shown in Fig. 2, said flangesbe1ng of approximately the same height as the thickness of one of thearticles A. When said turn-table is moved in the direction indicated bythe arrow in Fig. 2 these flanges 7 will be arranged transversely of thesecond lowermost article in the receptacle, as shown in Fig. 8, andconsequently will support said article and the ones above same. That isto say, the turn-table is rovided with flanges 7 which extend paralle tothe long axis of the articleswhen the turn-table is in its normalposition and transversely of said articles when the turn-table is movedout of its normal position, the distance between said flanges being lessthan the length of the articles A so that said flanges will act tosupport the articles above the article on the turn-table when saidturn-table is rotated, as previously described.

The lowermost article of course moves With the turn-table when it isoscillated, and

when the turn-table arrives in the position shown. in Fig. 3 saidlowermost article will be ejected from the turn-table or moved partiallyout of the recess or pocket which the flanges 7 form.

The ejecting device herein shown consists of an arm 8 pivotallyconnected at 9 to a stationary part of the base piece 4 and providedwith a tappet or laterally projecting extension 8' that is adapted to beengaged by one of the flanges 7 on the turn-table. The arm or ejectingdevice 8 normally lies in a housing 10, as shown in Fig. 2, and theextension 8 projects into the path of movement of one of the flanges onthe turn-table. Consequently, when said turn-table is rotated in thedirection of the arrow in Fig. 2 the end of the flange 7 that forms therear wall of the pocket will engage the extension 8" and thus move thearln 8 into the position shown in Fig. 3 so that it will engage thearticle in the pocket on the turn-table and eject it out of same. Whenthe turn.- table moves back to its normal position the end of the rearwall flange 7 will engage the arm 8 and move it back to its normalposition in the housing 10, the lowermost article in the receptacle thendropping automatically down into the pocket on the turntable.

While I have herein shown the ejecting device as being mounted on astationary support and the turntable provided with means for actuatingsame, I do not wish it to be'understood that my bread idea is limited tosuch a construction for, if desired, the parts could be reversed bymounting the ejecting device on the turn-table and providing thestationary support or base-piece with stops or abutments for engagingthe extension on the ejecting device so as to actuate same.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

l. A vending machine provided with a receptacle for holding articles, amovable member arranged underneath said receptacle and ada ted to alwayssupport the lowermost artic e therein, said member being adapted to moveto arrange the article in such a position that it can be ejected fromsaid receptacle, an ejecting device, and means for causing said ejectingdevice to engage the article on said movable member when it reaches acertain position and positively eject it therefrom; substantially asdescribed.

2. A vending machine provided with a turn-table that is adapted to holdan article, an ejecting device, and means for causing said ejectingdevice to engage the article 011 said table when it is moved in onedirection and thereafter return to normal position when the turn-tablemoves in the opposite direction; substantially as described.

3. A vending machine provided with a turn-table that is adapted to bemoved manually in one direction, a pocket on said turn-table for holdingan article, an ejecting device, means for causing said ejecting deviceto engage the article in said pocket when said turn-table is moved inone direction, and yielding means for returning the turn-table andejecting device to normal position; substantially as described.

4. A vending machine provided with a turn-table adapted to hold anarticle, a pivotally mounted ejecting device, means for causing saidejecting device to move into operative position when the table is turnedin one direction and into an inoperative position when the table returnsto its normal position, and a spring for returning the table to normalposition; substantially as described.

5. A vending machine provided with a turn-table adapted to hold anarticle, a pivotally mounted ejecting device located adjacent said tableand provided with an extension or tappet, and means on the turntable forengaging said tappet to move the ejecting device into an operativeposition when the table is moved in one direction; substantially asdescribed.

6. A vending machine provided with a receptacle for holding articles, aturn-table arranged below said receptacle and provided with flangeswhich form a pocket for the lowermost article in the receptacle, apivotally mounted ejecting device arranged adjacent the turn-table, anda tappet on said ejecting device which is engaged by one of the flangeson the turn-table when said table is moved in a certain direction;substantially as described.

7. A vending machine provided with a turn-table having a recess forreceiving an article, and a device operable by the turntable and adaptedto be moved relatively thereto for ejecting the article from said recesssubstantially as described.

8. A vending machine provided with a turn-table having a recess forreceiving an article, a pivotally mounted ejecting device, an extensionon said device, and means on the turn-table cooperating with said extension so as to move the ejecting device into and out of operativeposition when the table is rotated; substantially as described.

9. A vending machine provided with an article-holding receptacle ofapproximately oblong shape in cross section, a horizontally disposedturn-table arranged below the lower end of said receptacle and providedwith upwardly projecting flanges that norl mally aline with the widestwalls of said resaid table reaches a certain position; sub- 10 ceptacleso as to form a pocket for the lowerstantially as described. mostarticle in the receptacle, said flanges In testimony whereof I hereuntoafiix my being adapted to extend transversely of the signature in thepresence of two witnesses,

5 second lowermost article in the receptacle so this sixth day of Auust, 1908.

as to support same when the turn-table is J MES E. ALLISGN. moved fromits normal position, and a mov- Witnesses: able ejecting device fordischarging the VJELLs L. CHURCH.

article in the pocket of said turn-table when GEORGE BAKEWELL.

